As part of the Land Grant University mission, the EcoComplex is dedicated to providing education and outreach to students, the general public and the industries we serve. Our focus on innovative Clean Energy, Environmental, and Sustainable Agriculture technologies and the impacts they have on mitigating climate change, creating a circular carbon economy, providing social justice and achieving sustainability is the foundation of our education and outreach program.
The EcoComplex staff develops and teaches college level classes, short courses, and training workshops, on and off site. Current courses offered:
Plants and Innovative Technologies for Bioenergy 11:776:410 (3)
Plants and Innovative Technologies for Bioenergy (1st, 2nd and 3rd generation) concept teaches students the types of plants and also existing and emerging conversion technologies to efficiently convert plants and other biomass species into bioenergy (biopower, bioheat, biofuels) and bio-based products & chemicals. This class will be held in the fall of 2020. For more information, contact the instructor, Serpil Guran, at serpil.guran@rutgers.edu.
Introduction to Bioenergy Technologies 11:776:112:01 (3)
This course provides an introductory understanding to biomass, biomass to low-carbon energy systems including biopower, bioheat and biofuels, with a scientific examination of feedstocks, conversion technologies and scale up for industrial production, end products, and their applications. The course also provides entry level understanding of the concepts of sustainability, systems thinking and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and incorporation of these concepts into bioenergy systems. The class explores the potential advantages of low-carbon energy in developing a low-carbon economy and society. (Instructor: Serpil Guran)
Sustainability Decision Tools 11:373:202 (3)
This course teaches and engages students around practical and theoretical aspects of “sustainability,” which has been an influential organizing principle for public and private-sector decision-making for more than 25 years. The course helps students integrate sustainability thinking into their individual consumption decisions and those they will make on behalf of future employers in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Provides knowledge on the new emerging Food-Energy-Water “FEW” concept that is essential to achieve United Nations’ 2030 Sustainability Goals and creation of resilient communities. (Instructors: Serpil Guran and Paul Gottlieb)
Greenhouse Production Short Course - March 19 and 20, 2020
2 day program, designed for the beginning greenhouse grower, to provide basic information on most aspects of what is needed to successfully operate a greenhouse business including the physical structure and crop production (Instructor: David Specca and A.J. Both). Registration will open soon. For more information, contact David Specca at specca@njaes.rutgers.edu.
Other Instruction
We also provide information about clean energy, environmental, sustainable agricultural technologies through seminars and workshops, tours, presentations at conferences, and written reports.